1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an exhaust gas purifying filter that is made of a ceramic material and is used for collecting particulate matter, such as fine carbon particles, emitted from internal combustion engines and oxidizing and removing the particulate matter by catalytic reaction, and to a method of manufacturing the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Exhaust gas purifying filters made of ceramic materials have been used to collect particulate matter emitted from diesel engines.
Method for removing the particulate matter collected by an exhaust gas purifying filter employed in the prior art is the collection and burning process that burns and removes the particulate matter by heating it with a heater installed at a predetermined position. The filter used in the collection and: burning process is designed to have a pore size as small as possible with respect to the pressure loss and cause the particulate matter to accumulate on the filter surface, in order to collect the particulate matter surely on the filter surface as described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H9-77573.
However, the collection and burning process has not been put into practice because the filter is susceptible to breakage or melting due to thermal stress generated when the accumulated particulate matter is removed by burning with the heater.